EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe game was over. Western Michigan did the unimaginable: It beat Michigan in the Big House.Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood's end zone heave from 47 yards out fell incomplete as time expired, ruining coach Kyle Whittingham's debut in the most embarrassing of ways. In fact, as the camera panned to the former Utah coach, the look on his face could be roughly translated to say: I should have stuck to the plan and retired.The immediate television replay confirmed what also seemed clear in real time: The clock struck triple zeros before Underwood's pass made contact with anyone on the way down. Upon seeing the replay, NBC's play-by-play broadcaster Noah Eagle quickly proclaimed, "It's done."Then came the baffling announcement from the referee, without explanation: "After further review, there is one second left in the game."During the review, no additional angles were shown on TV -- presumably because there wasn't another angle that contradicted the initial conclusion -- and viewers were left searching for any reason for why Michigan should get another chance.So, naturally, Michigan took advantage of its extra life moments later when Underwood's next attempt was hauled in by JJ Buchanan.Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12.Fans stormed the field. Disaster was averted.Except, nothing about the way the final sequence unfolded felt right.After the game, NBC brought its officiating expert, Terry McAulay, back on and he was no closer to understanding the officiating sequence than when he initially agreed with the call on the field."Our [NBC replay clock is] in sync with the stadium clock. The ball isn't even close to touching a player when it goes to zero," he said. "Their system - their Hawk-Eye system - had a different sync or whatever and it came up with one second when it hit a player. I don't see how that happened." (Hawk-Eye Innovations is a camera system that tracks ball and player movement in real time.)If there was ever a case for why there should be complete transparency during the replay process, this was it. If the Big Ten officiating crew had good reason to add a second to the clock, viewers deserved to understand what it was in real time. Broadcast those conversations. Show the angles they are looking at. Without that context, it was hard to accept what happened. Sure enough, just before midnight Central Time, the Big Ten released video that not only justified the decision but included audio of its replay team calmly going through the process that put a second back on the clock. Had that video and audio discussion been broadcast in real time, the entire viewing experience would have been different.Instead of millions of people watching Michigan receive what appeared to be an inexplicable gift, viewers could have followed how the replay crew reached a defensible conclusion.For all the frustration surrounding how Michigan was given its second chance, there was something almost perfectly college football about the whole ordeal. In the span of a few minutes, Michigan fans were shocked with a historic defeat only to be rescued by a miracle. It was absurd. It was college football.Welcome back.There has always been something comforting about Week 1 of the college football season. Astronomically, the fall doesn't technically arrive until the autumnal equinox, but college football is a much better cultural marker.Never mind that it's still 90 degrees in half the country, summer is over. Saturdays have structure again. If you want to have a beer before noon, there is no obligation to defend yourself, and we can all stop pretending like anyone knows anything.Week 1 is perfectly named because it is, of course, the second week of the season.In college sports, basic math need not apply. The Big Ten and Big 12 gave up on counting years ago, and the eight-team, new-look Pac-12 agreed that having an arbitrary number as part of its name was simply good branding. Let's not get started on conference names rooted in geography, especially since Sacramento State is now part of the Mid-American Conference.There is plenty about the way college football operates that invites cynicism, but, in truth, it remains one of the best things we have.Saturday was a reminder of that.For all the lawsuits, realignment, transfer-portal chaos and arguments about what the sport is becoming, none of that feels particularly important once the games start.No. 5 Texas dominated start-to-finish against Texas State, but it was a welcome sight to see Arch Manning throwing touchdowns in a 59-7 win, instead of pitching athleisure during commercial breaks. No. 1 Ohio State also won by more than 50 (56-3 against Ball State), as Jeremiah Smith's 8-catch, 151-yard performance was a strong start to his Heisman campaign.The Matt Campbell era got off to a seamless start in Happy Valley with Penn State beating Marshall 45-0.Then there was Whittingham and Michigan.Even on a day where there weren't many high-profile matchups or relatively entertaining games, it was still better than any Saturday since last season ended.Jump to:Oregon survives | Lane deliversUMass won? | Closing bellOregon survives scareIf there was a game played this week that might have featured a pair of playoff teams, the most likely candidate was Oregon -Boise State. For the Broncos, there is no shame in losing 34-27 to Oregon on the road. They showed, as usual, that they can trade blows with one of the best teams in the country and -- to get way ahead of ourselves -- that should be a positive data point if they are in the mix for an at-large spot. The Broncos have an interesting test next week against Memphis and look every part the favorite in the new-look Pac-12.Even with the win, during which it outgained Boise State by 233 yards, Oregon won't come out of this game with the same kind of boost. This is a national-title-or-bust season, and that dynamic can lead to the unrealistic expectation that every week should be easy.In the on-field interview after the game, Oregon coach Dan Lanning did his best to mask his frustration. He acknowledged the win, pointed out how that matters, then quickly pivoted."There's a lot to fix," he said. "There's a lot to clean up."That perspective is part of what has made Lanning one of the best coaches in the country.One player who doesn't have much to clean up is quarterback Dante Moore. His 378 passing yards are a career high, and he looked at ease throughout.Lane deliversFor all the shenanigans that come with the Lane Kiffin experience, the guy sure can coach. Clemson might not be what it used to be, but for LSU to win 51-10, still qualifies as the most resounding statement by any team in college football to start the season. QB Sam Leavitt tapped back into his 2024 form, RB Dilin Jones was tremendous and LSU was the superior team on every level.All of this without relying on anyone who spent any time in an NFL training camp.LSU has Louisiana Tech next week, but with Clemson out of the way, Kiffin's return to Oxford to play Ole Miss on Sept. 19, is coming more clearly into focus. The buildup to that game was always going to be ridiculous, but it becomes that much more interesting if both teams look the part before then. Kiffin did his part.Ole Miss, you're up.Making sense of UMass' winWe've had a couple of days to let Rutgers' loss to UMass marinate and, no, it hasn't gotten easier to comprehend. In fact, it's probably more baffling when layered with more context about just how bad Massachusetts football has been since going from the FCS to FBS in 2012.During that time, 121 other programs have been constant in college football's highest tier, and all of them have won at least a quarter of their games. Kansas has the second-worst winning percentage (.257), and UTEP (.277) was the worst among non-power conference teams. They won 43 and 46 games, respectively, in that span.Then, there is UMass. The Minutemen won just 26 games over the past 14 seasons, with a winning percentage of .163. And it gets worse: Against FBS opponents, UMass was just 19-129 (.128) and 0-32 against opponents from power conferences. It has never won more than four games in a season and finished last year with the nation's longest losing streak (16 games). We could go on, but you get the point. UMass is so far from relevance that it would be easy to understand how a casual fan might not know it was in the FBS or had a football program.All of that adds to the beauty of what happened in Piscataway, New Jersey, on Thursday. There was nothing to suggest that Rutgers should have needed to break a sweat before moving to 1-0. Build a lead, get the starters out, let the walk-ons get their snaps, etc. Instead, UMass provided an early reminder that even as the resource and talent gap between the Big Ten/SEC and everyone else grows, occasionally, the unthinkable can happen.It doesn't feel like Rutgers can recover from this loss. Greg Schiano's return was an interesting idea, but after six mediocre seasons, this was an unforgivable way to begin Year 7. The wind isn't out of the sails as much as the sails caught fire and the boat has capsized.The closing bellBuy: Miami WR Malachi Toney and QB Darian MensahSo much for the idea that Toney and Mensah might need some time to get in sync. On Miami's first play from scrimmage against Stanford on Friday, Mensah found Toney streaking down the left side of the field for 48 yards. Two plays later, they connected for a 23-yard touchdown, and before the third quarter was over, Toney had produced the single-best receiving performance in Miami history (12 catches, 234 yards, three touchdowns). When Toney hit the Heisman pose after his final touchdown, it felt appropriate. After the game, in a cramped utility room adjacent to Stanford Stadium, he alerted everyone to a terrifying development for defensive coordinators: He got noticeably faster in the offseason.Sell: Oklahoma StateAfter losing 11 straight games to end the 2025 season, a coaching change and a regarded haul of transfers were supposedly going to provide a quick fix. Instead, Oklahoma State backed up all the offseason hype with another loss to Tulsa. This isn't an annual game, but they have played regularly -- 43 times since 1953. And in that span, OSU has never lost consecutive games to Tulsa. Until now. The last time Tulsa won back-to-back games was 1951-52, when Oklahoma State was still referred to as Oklahoma A&M.Hold: IndianaThe Hoosiers' 52-16 win against North Texas should not be celebrated. It was exactly the type of performance expected from the reigning national champions. Yes, QB Josh Hoover was good in his debut (13-of-16, 231 yards, four TDs, zero INT), but this is the standard now in Bloomington. Indiana's schedule doesn't get interesting until it hosts Ohio State on Oct. 17.Hold: Alabama WR Ryan Coleman-WilliamsAfter finishing his disappointing sophomore season with just one game of at least 100 receiving yards, it was important for Coleman-Williams to get off to a productive start. With five catches for 130 yards, he checked that box. But he also dropped two passes -- a wide-open deep shot and another in the end zone -- showing the issue that plagued him last season has not been solved.Buy: Iowa's offenseIn the first half of the Hawkeyes' 40-0 win against Northern Illinois, they scored 33 points and had 372 yards of total offense. They haven't accomplished that in a half against an FBS opponent since 2018.Sell: Whatever this was It's not a good sign if a player (No. 42 in this instance) is limping -- even slightly -- before a game because a teammate lost control of the sledgehammer he was swinging at a temporary cinderblock wall.Buy: Ball State kicker Brody BoehmBoehm had never attempted a collegiate field goal when he was sent out to try from 54 yards in the Horseshoe against Ohio State -- and he made it look like a chip shot. When Big Ten Network broadcaster Jeff Levering said it would have been good from 70, it didn't seem to be an exaggeration. The longest field goal in college football history occurred 50 years ago, when Abilene Christian's Ove Johansson hit from 69 yards. Boehm might be the guy to finally break it. Fun fact: Boehm's brother, Ben, is a Special Olympics powerlifter who won a gold medal at the world championships in Romania last year.Sell: Attendance banterA lot of people spent a lot of time over the past week discussing why USC didn't have a full stadium to see the Trojans host San Jos State. Attendance wasn't markedly better against Fresno State on Friday, but the whole conversation remains completely disingenuous.
